Congratulations on your new solo show, Living at Geary Contemporary. Can you share some insights into the new work?

I was flying to Oregon this Fall, and when I fly, I typically get a bit nervous, so I draw to calm down. I had been working for two years in work that anchored the forms (animals) in a floating and schematic space - one that lacked a specific location. At this point, when I got on the plane for this trip, I knew I needed to shift things but didn’t know what.

I began to draw some 30,000 feet in the air and, without planning and really much thinking, began to draw an aerial perspective of my bedroom back home in Brooklyn. I had just been married and was thinking about our home, life, and what I missed while traveling. So I committed on the plane ride to shift my work’s location and be more specific and personal in this work. I began to draw from memory my home, our bed - our floors, and more. It all started with drawing, simple line contour drawings, then more realized wax crayon drawings, and finally, a series of paintings when ready.

An artist’s personal life and private moments often inspire. When looking at your new series, Philip Guston and his “bed” paintings come to mind to me. I’m curious to hear if any artists, in particular, may have been (in some small way) inspiration to you and your new work?

Guston’s Bed paintings are terrific. I thought of them a bit and saw them at a recent exhibition at Hauser and Wirth in the Fall of 2021. Additionally, Mantegna’s The Lamentation - was a real point of entry for me. . . thinking about vulnerability and perspective in that beautiful small work was important. I had also just traveled to Paris in the Fall of 2021 and spent time with Bonnard’s work up close. One is always in conversation with art history in some way - I wanted these paintings to be specifically idiosyncratic and personal to me, but also an echo of the many artists past that have used the intimate space of a bed as a location and place in their work.

Your process involves using an oil stick, airbrush, and acrylic. What does the combination of these particular mediums allow you to convey or create?

I think it is about touch - the idea that an airbrush can make things look transparent and soft while an oil stick can feel tactile and thick - more of substance. I like that combination of atmosphere and weight. I use water-based mediums primarily because it lets me work fast and layer - I feed off this. The final layer is an oil stick, and it always feels dramatic and exciting. Once I lay down layers of oil stick - there is no going back, but I find that the ratio of oil stick and airbrush together is a combination I’ve developed out of being a scrappy artist - one that finds a way to work the way I need to. The making is the thinking in many ways; I try to follow that.

In addition to your artistic practice, you serve as an adjunct professor at SVA and are the co-founder and director of The NYC Crit Club. How do you balance these different endeavors, and what is most rewarding to you in each?

I am not sure how I balance them - to be honest, but I do. I think this Spring was hectic, and I’d like this to change going forward. All the roles and jobs I have are important and have a need. I feed off teaching, and teaching pays me back in knowledge gained and perspective, certainly more than the money. I research more and more because of teaching - I find this pays off in the studio and my work. Working with artists of all ages also keeps my eyes open to what is going on and makes me realize what I already know - that I am not the only one making work. Being the director of NYC Crit Club is a big responsibility, but one that I love. I find the program necessary socially and academically but without the weight of debt or institutional bureaucracy. There is no one telling me or us what to do there - which is terrifying but also exciting. I love teaching at SVA - the students are sweet, interesting, and eager. Every job has its role - I am grateful for them all.

What is your life like today? 

My husband and I are both painters and faculty at respective schools; we live and work in Brooklyn, NY. I find the community of painters and artists most exciting, and we certainly never feel bored or at a loss of things to do. Some of our favorite days are spent at the MET or the Morgan Library or some gallery walks and end with a nice dinner. We feel fortunate to live here, and it inspires us. We are aiming to do some traveling this summer for exhibitions and make them into mini trips to see Muir Woods and more of northern California. I love that my husband and I can talk about art - past and present. I find being married to him has helped my work, confidence, and thinking more than I ever could have imagined. I’m thrilled and fortunate.